Columhia plaxogra



R. PICARD; MILEAGE AND TIME INDICATOR FOR VEHICLES? APPLICATION FILED IUNE25. 191a.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

I IflLNLvENT R BY.

ATT RN EYS R. PICARD.

MILEAGE AND TIME INQ ICAIOR FOR VEHICLES. APPLICATION FI'LED 1uu525. 1913.

- Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Illlllllm INVENTQR BY A? ATT N EYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RENE I'IGARD, or PARIS, FRANCE.

MILEAGE AND TIME INPICATOR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Application filed June 25, 1913. Serial No. 775,811.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, RENE PICARD, citizen of the French Republic, residing at 133 Boulevard'Ney, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in I Mileage and Time Indicators for Vehicles,

pose of obtainin of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to taximeters in which the registering mechanism is driven from a clock or from a road wheel of the vehicle by whichever is going at the faster rate, and has for its object to provide an improved efficient mechanism by means of which the driving arrangement of the apparatus may be adjusted at will for one of several preferably three tariffs. To this end according to this invention, the mechanism is provlded with worms driven from the vehicle and adapted individually to be fl coupled 'with'a main driving shaft with the "aid of a stepped coupling barrel, for the pureither of the three differenttariffs, as Wlll be hereinafter fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a sectional elevation of the improved driving arrangement.

Fig.2 is a sectional elevation as seen from in front of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is aplan view of Fig. 1. d

Fig. 4: is a section of'the improved mam driving shaft.

Fig. 5 is a. development of the stepped barrel or clutch sleeve.

Fig. 6 is a front View of the hour pinion. According to this invention as shown the three different tariffs are governed by three worms 1, 2, and 3 (Fig. 2) adapted to mesh with three worm wheels A, B and C respectively, which are loose on the main driving "shaft 9 and drive ratchet wheels 03, e and 6' respectively, fixed on the main driving shaft by means of pawls such as b mounted on the worm wheels respectively. These worm wheels may'have a variable number of teeth according to the three tariffs in use. Each of the three tariffs is obtained by connecting each screw with two half-clutches-4 and 5,

6 and 7, 8 and 9, which impart to the corre-- sponding screw the driving movement for the particular tarifl to be used. This coupling action is effected bymeans of levers 10, 11 and 12 similar to the lever 11 shown and controlled three cams a, a and a indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, mounted on the cam or flag shaft F. The rotary movement of the worms 1, 2, 3 is obtained by means of toothed wheels of equal diameter13, 1 1 and 15 which are in constant engagement and of which one, 14:, is arranged upon an intermediate spindle 16, provided with a toothed wheel 17 which is in engagement with a toothed wheel 18 of the same diameter as 17 and fixed upon a worm 19 whichis driven by the flexible connection from the wheels of the vehicle.

. A coupling sleeve f adjustably mounted on the shaft 9 isrotated thereby with the aid of a pin 11 which is fixed on the shaft.

This pin projects through a slot arranged in f parallel to the axis thus enabling f to be displaced in a longitudinal sense which in the usual manner is effected by means of a cam actuated lever (not shown) from the ag or setting shaft F. This sleeve 7 is provided with a coupling finger f and the driving takes plac in the following manner:

Supposing for the following tariffs the charge would" be at the rate of 25 cents per 1000 meters compiled of fractions of 166 meters for tariff I, 125 meters for tariff II,

and 100 meters for tariff III, so that for tariff I the fraction amounts to onesixth of the rate, for tariff II'one-eightli, and for tariff III one-tenth. Assuming the three wheels A,-B and C to have respectively 66 50 and 40 teeth, it will be seen that if one" tooth corresponds to '25 meters, one revolution of the driving shaft when using tariff I will correspond to 25x66, which equals a distance of 1650 meters; for tariff II 50 X25 equaling 1250 meters, and for tarifi' III a stepped barrel 9 which by means of asleeve-shaped hub g is journaled on the driving shaft 9 and partly embraces the sleeve f. In the example shown (Fig. 5), this barrel has its face cut away at three difler'ent levels-g g and g each provided" for a definite delay of the driving engagement for the particular tariff. In Fig. the whole circumference of the face of the barrel is assumed to be divided into ten 5 equal units. Each individual step or face g 9 g is adapted to engage with the finger f of the sleeve f when the latter is displaced within its slot to bring about the desired engagement.

Each revolution of the shaft 9 will comprise the whole of the divisions of the barrel 9 and when the apparatus is set for tariff I, the mechanism will not commence registering until after the shaft has performed sixth-tenths of one revolution; for tariff II, after eight-tenths of one revolution and for tarifi' III after one complete revolution.

According to whether the apparatusis set for tarifi I, II or III, the shaft-q is driven by the corresponding worm and drives the sleeve 7. As before stated, this sleeve "is displaced at the same time so that the finger f is placed at will in frontof one or the other of the-steps g g, g and determines the. period at which the 'registeringrmovement of the shaft is to begin according to the tariff in use. A coil spring r mounted on the shaft tends constantly to press the finger f axially against the barrel g. A pinion 0 which transmits movement to the registering train and is integral with a toothed clutch sleeve 1 is driven by a ratchet pawl 11. mounted on the left-hand side of the gland m integral with 9. Attached to a pin 0 on the gland m is one end of a coiled spring m, the other end of which is attached to the driving shaft 9 which moves the hub 9 forward through a distance corresponding to the amount of lost motion associated with the tarifi employed, when the apparatus is set at free. p is a washer pinned to the shaft 9 to keep the various parts shown in Fig. 4 in position.-

The clutch sleeve I may be moved in or out of engagement with the hour pinion H by moving the sleeve Z axially against the action of a spring, for instance, by means of a lever actuated by a cam mounted on the flag or setting shaft and engaging a collar is on the sleeve Z, for the purpose of freeing the pinion from the registering mechanism when it is desired to record the time wasted in repairs and the like when on hire, which 55 time of course cannot be charged for.

The mechanism is driven in the following manner when actuated by the clock: The usual hour pinion H is arranged on a clutch sleeve j surrounding the barrel 9 on the shaft g and meshing with the sleeve Z. The hour pinion meshes with the clockwork and is provided on one of its faces with a in h which engages a finger 7', Fig. 6, xed on the tooth clutch sleeve j. The time 65 taken by the finger h to revolve into contact with j corresponds to the first of the intervals after each of which an increase in the fare is registered. When the apparatus is set at free, the release of a spiral spring h, of which one end is fixed to the clutch sleeve j and the other extremity to the hour pinion I-I moves the toothed clutch sleeve to its initial position.

When the flag shaft is rotated to the free position, the pinion H is freed from the mg istering 'mechanism this permitting the movement of the parts as above described.

It is to be noted that the clutch mechanism comprising the pawl n and toothed sleeve Z enables the hour pinion to overrun the shaft 9 while the clutch sleeve 7' enables the shaft when driven from the road wheel to overrun the hour pinion.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination with a device for automatically computing and recording the tariff of a hired'vehicle, according to the distance traveled, rate charged, time consumed and load carried, of driving means, actuated by the movement of the vehicle, for operating the said device, means for varying the tariff rate by changing the ratio of the speed of the driving means to the driven device, comprising a series of endless screws, driven bysaid driving means, a series of toothed wheels each of different pitch and each adapted to be driven by one of said endless sorewsand each of said toothed wheels being adapted to operate said device, and means for controlling said toothed wheels so that any one of the series may be operated whereby the ratio between the driving means and the driven device may be varied according to tlierate of tariff to be charged.

2. The combination with a device for automatically computing and recording the tariff of a hired vehicle, according to the distance traveled, rate charged, time con- 1 0 sumed and load carried, of driving means, actuated by the movement of the vehicle, for operating the said device, means for varying the tariff rate by changing the ratio 'of the speed of the driving means to the 5 driven device, compris1ng a series of endless screws, driven by said driving means, a series of toothed wheels each of different pitch and each adapted to be driven byone of saidendless screws, and each of said -toothed wheels being adapted to operate said device, and means for controlling said toothedwheels so that any one of the series may be operated whereby the ratio between the drlving means and the driven device may be varied according to the rate of tariff to be charged, and automatic means, 1 separate from the driving means, for continuing the operation of the driven device when the said vehicle is at rest.

3. In a taximeter the mechanism for obtaining three different tarifi's or rates or registration comprising three endless screws engagin individually with three difl'erent worm W eels arranged on a common shaft and adapted to transmit the driving movement of each driving screw to the registering mechanism by a coupling barrel provided with a corresponding number of ste s 10 or recesses of varying depth whereby a different delay is obtained in the transmission of the driving movement from each individual driving screw to the registering mechanism.

In testimony whereeof I have afiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RENE PIOARD. Witnesses:

E. DENLOUX, A. GIU'RELLI.

copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

